Man held for threatening to kill wife

John Shipman, 36, is being held without bail for allegedly going to the door of his estranged wife's home on Maple Street with the intent of killing her and "everyone in the house," according to police.

According to court documents, Shipman threatened to kill, hang, and skin his estranged wife. Police found him outside of the Maple Street home carrying a .45 caliber handgun, intoxicated and slurring his speech at 4 a.m. on January 6.

"He was arrested and there was a dangerousness hearing held due to the seriousness of the threats. His wife did testify in court and there is a standing restraining order against him," said Police Chief Robert Desrosiers.

Desrosiers said Shipman was in handcuffs one minute and 20 seconds after officers Paul Newham and Ken Johnson arrived on the scene.

According to Desrosiers, Shipman has no prior convictions and is currently facing two misdemeanors - threatening to commit a crime and carrying a firearm while intoxicated. He is being held until his pretrial hearing on January 28.

"At this time, it is only a threat as he didn't actually put the plan in motion. He had legal possession of the gun with a permit and his being on the property could be an act of visiting," Desrosiers said.

Shipman and his wife have four children together, but according to police there were no specific threats to the kids, though wife said in a police report that he said he planned to kill "everybody in the house."

Desrosiers notes that domestic violence is a serious threat.

"Statistics show that ninety percent of women murdered are found to have been killed at the hands of a boyfriend or a spouse. There is a thin line between love and hate, and you can hate as deeply as you can love," he said.

According to Desrosiers, many studies have been done as to what brings men to violence, and the main reasons are feelings of helplessness, desperation, vengeance, and a sense of nothing left to lose.

"Eventually, the feeling that nothing matters takes hold, and some snap," Desrosiers noted. "We don't know if what he said was for shock value or if he meant it."

Desrosiers said that according to court documents, Shipman is an investor. He and his wife were married in 1994, and they are currently in the early stages of divorce proceedings.